*This novel is now complete. You can continue following it on my Patreon*
* My : pat*eon*com/RuneA*
..............
"You've got a grudge with her?"
The Infected who'd been beating up the Ursus girl all stopped at once and turned to stare at the man who'd interrupted their venting.
The voice was unfamiliar—but he was wearing a Reunion mask.
A newcomer who had just joined Reunion?
"Give us a reason we can actually believe, man. You do realize this little bear brat dug up the food we had hidden."
"Damn it—if the patrol hadn't come back with a stomachache to use the toilet, that slippery brat would've gotten away clean."
Under the hard stares of more than a dozen Infected, Chen Mo didn't panic in the slightest. He folded his arms, lifted his chin, and declared:
"Because she defiled me."
"…"
The air froze.
The Infected who had been righteously furious a second ago fell dead silent—so silent you could hear breathing. Even the Ursus girl on the ground, still curled up and shielding her head, visibly trembled.
What the hell was this man talking about?
She hadn't even touched a man's hand in her entire life—how could some guy jump out and claim she'd harassed him?
After a brief, awkward hush, the woman who'd given Chen Mo the mask seemed like she wanted to step forward and comfort him. But in the end, she withdrew the hand she'd half-raised toward his shoulder.
"In that case, she's yours."
"And when you deal with her, drag her farther away. Don't let blood splash onto the food."
After thinking for a moment, the Sarkaz Infected unhooked the communicator on her belt and handed it to him.
"Take this too. Even if you're Infected, you're still a man—being alone in this city is way too dangerous. If you need anything, contact the higher-ups anytime… though the woman leading us is kind of unhinged."
With that, the Infected filed into the shop beside them. As they passed the Ursus girl, they couldn't resist adding one more kick and a spit of contempt.
"Disgusting. Not even fully grown and already playing games with men."
"Even Infected aren't spared—what kind of animal does that?"
"Handle her, then come rest a bit, comrade. We'll be waiting."
Only after every one of them had kicked her once and disappeared into the shop did the Ursus girl shakily push herself up.
She looked at Chen Mo with a mix of fear and confusion.
"Why… why would you say I did that to you…?"
"Because it's funny," Chen Mo said lightly. "And it lets me get you out without making a scene."
Funny…?
This man was joking about her chastity?
And he'd saved her…
The Ursus girl pressed her lips together and hugged the food in her arms tighter, refusing to speak.
Seeing her distrust, Chen Mo put his hands on his hips and grinned. His tail slid forward and pointed at the food in her arms.
"And it's not like I'm asking for nothing. I'm starving. I want what you're holding."
He glanced toward the shop, where the Infected had started taking a breather, then immediately grabbed her wrist and pulled her into a run.
"Come on—don't just stand there. If they come out and see us chatting happily, they'll think you 'tamed' me or something."
W-what is this man even saying?!
The sheer shamelessness of it made the Ursus girl's mind short-circuit. She could only let herself be dragged as Chen Mo hauled her away at full speed.
They quickly reached an empty corner. Before the girl could figure out what to say, Chen Mo yanked the food from her arms and started eating like his life depended on it.
"Finally—real food. I've been living on sweets for weeks. I'm about to give myself diabetes."
He lifted the mask slightly—just enough to expose his mouth—and devoured the food she'd risked everything to steal.
The girl said nothing.
She still didn't want to believe him. And with Chen Mo completely absorbed in eating, she decided to slip away quietly.
She'd worked too hard just to escape. She still had to find her father. She couldn't afford to waste time here.
But the moment she reached the corner and was about to bolt, Chen Mo called out sharply:
"Hold it. You're not even going to tell your lifesaver your name?"
"…My name is Zoya."
Chen Mo's eyes widened in realization.
"Oh. So it really is you."
He swallowed what was in his mouth, lowered the mask again, and tossed back the remaining food.
"Eat some. Where are you heading?"
Zoya didn't refuse. She caught the food, packed it properly into her bag—then hesitated again.
That Reunion mask on him made her uneasy.
"Don't look at me like that," Chen Mo said, rubbing his stomach. "If I wanted to harm you, why would I save you in the first place?"
Truthfully, he still wasn't full. Only after leaving the comfortable, well-fed Lungmen did he learn what "food is precious" really meant.
And Zoya's destination supposedly had supplies.
If he hurried there, he might even get something hot to eat and recover his condition.
If he was going to deal with that old bastard, he needed to be at full strength.
…And sure—helping someone on the side didn't hurt.
Zoya was still conflicted, so Chen Mo smiled and dropped a final "ultimate move":
"If you still won't say it, I'll start yelling right here that you molested me."
"You—! What kind of man are you?!"
Zoya was stunned. She never would've imagined that a silver-haired man—whose build alone suggested he was probably good-looking—could be this utterly shameless.
She barely ever spoke to men besides her father. And with him wearing a mask, she couldn't even see whether he was joking or actually insane enough to do it.
Besides… he did have a point. If he truly meant her harm, he could've ignored her and walked away—no need to risk being exposed by lying to the Sarkaz.
Her hesitation came from a simple truth: she'd seen so much ugliness on the road that she didn't want to trust anyone outside her family anymore.
And she wasn't worth anyone orchestrating some elaborate scheme for.
Steadying herself, Zoya calmed her racing emotions and finally spoke.
"I'm going to a school called Peterheim Secondary. My father is probably there, so…"
"No problem," Chen Mo replied immediately. "Perfect—I'm still not full. Lead the way."
He'd eaten that much and still wasn't full?
And he agreed so casually…
Zoya didn't argue. She turned and started walking toward Peterheim. With that Reunion mask, maybe she could even use him to slip into the school and find traces of her father.
Beep… beep…
A sudden ticking sound made Zoya whip around in alarm.
Chen Mo, without the slightest hesitation, tossed the communicator aside.
Click—
But by sheer bad luck—or dumb luck—Chen Mo managed to hit the right control and connected the call.
"Why the hell did you take so long to answer? You idiots—were you slacking off again?"
The voice coming from the communicator was foul-mouthed… yet unexpectedly pleasant to listen to.
And the more Chen Mo listened, the more familiar it sounded.
Leaving it there would draw attention. But smashing it too aggressively might make the other side suspicious and send more people.
As the voice grew more irritated, Chen Mo tested the waters with a cautious reply:
"The team's out on patrol right now. Maybe you could contact them later?"
"…Hahahaha!"
The woman burst into laughter.
"I don't recall any men in those brain-dead squads who can't do anything but poke themselves with sticks."
"Listen, little man—I'll assume you're some new recruit those morons picked up. Go hide at the infected camp in Central Park, north side of the city. I'm heading south to settle accounts with them. Don't get caught in the crossfire~ Hahaha."
The line went dead.
Chen Mo immediately crushed the communicator in his bare hand.
Zoya swallowed hard.
"Did… did we get through that? Should we do what she said and run to the north park?"
"No," Chen Mo said flatly. "We're going south."
He thumped his chest with confidence.
"That woman is absolutely coming to hunt us down. Didn't you hear the way she talked? She was obviously saying the opposite."
"She thinks she's playing three layers deep. But we're five layers deep already. We'll just sit back and watch her clown show."
Zoya didn't really understand a word of that—but Peterheim was roughly in that direction anyway. It wasn't a major detour.
As long as they kept moving toward her destination, it would be fine.
-------
My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
I, Herta's Fiancé, the Universe's Number One Male Fist (114 Chapter (Simulpub-Full) )
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Succubus in Sixth Street (400 Chapter)
Reborn in Type-Moon, My Sister is Aoko Aozaki (254 Chapter)
MyGO!! A Story Voiced by Me (140 Chapter)
BLEACH: Blade of Purification (158 Chapter)
Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi (400 Chapter)
My Real Job is Spying on Konoha, but I'm Also its Hokage (140 Chapter)
The Pinnacle of the Navy! Starting from Being Captured by Garp (172 Chapter)
Watching Yu-Gi-Oh! short videos is making the veteran players lose...(80 Chapter)
Uma Musume : The Trainer Who Just Wants to Live (261 Chapter) (Ending)
Zenless Zone Zero The Random Kamen Rider (200 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: It All Began With Me Being Stepped On by Arlecchino (120 Chapter)
Naruto: I Can Synthesize Summoning Beasts (96 Chapter)
Demon Slayer: The Great Swordsman's System, Disciple of Yoriichi (140 Chapter)
My Wife is a General, but I'm an Emanator of Abundance! (160 Chapter)
Type-Moon: My Nine-Fold Path (140 Chapter)
Uma Musume: They're Peeking at My Diary, and All of Tracen is Panickin (Ending)
The Wild History of Type-Moon world (70 Chapter)
Reborn in Conan, But I Refuse to Be the Bad Guy (80 Chapter)
Ruan Mei is begging me to go back? But there's no going back anymore (140 Chapter)
Just a Slacker at Tracen Academy (165 Chapter)
Survival in Blue Archive (70 Chapter)
Kimetsu no Yaiba: Doma Wasn't Hated Today, Either (100 Chapter)
The Vibe of This Chat Group is a Little Off (100 Chapter)
Heartbreak Simulator: I Broke Them and Made Them Cry (80 Chapter)
The Talentless Trainer Doesn't Want to Restart (80 Chapter)
A Journey Starting as a Quincy (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: The Master of Romance Obstruction (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: You Can't Be a Hero Without a Little Chemical Enhancement (40 Chapter)
Honkai Impact 3rd Your Boyfriend is Really Amazing (40 Chapter)
Warhammer 40K: My Fiancée, Fulgrim (180 Chapter)
Classroom of the Elite: Trying to Capture Me! (120 Chapter)
Genshin Impact My Named Senji Muramas (150 Chapter)
A Chef, the Vice-Captain of the Rocks Pirates? (160 Chapter)
Naruto : My Uchiha Girlfriend is Too Tsundere (130 Chapter)
Type-Moon: Reincarnated in a Lostbelt, I Became the Alien God (90 Chapter)
The Way These Horse Girls Look at Me Is Terrifying! (160 Chapter)
Naruto: Tsunade's Deskmate (130 Chapter)
I Just Want to Live a Normal (50 Chapter).
Genshin Impact: A Hundred Confessions? It's Just a System Task (70 Chapter)
OnePiece : Starting as a Veteran of the Roger Pirates (60 Chapter)
Uma Musume : I Have Special Horse Taming Techniques (190 Chapter)
Uma Musume : My other self is a Horse Girl (130 Chapter)
Jujutsu Kaisen : All Affection Stats Maxed Out (200 Chapter)
Satou Kazuma's Decision to Live by Swindling, Starting from Re:Zero (60 Chapter)
Bleach : Ichigo! Take Over the Soul Society (89 Chapter)
Crossover Anime: The Master of Plagiarism with a 'Love Obstacle (140 Chapter)
Arknights Succubus Nurturing System, But I'm a Quiet Office Worker (90 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: Using My Personas to Break the Hearts of Players (50 Chapter)
One Punch Man : i am King? (150 Chapter)
Genshin: My Stats Are Irresistible (70 Chapter)
Naruto: Master of Dream Fulfillment! (70 Chapter)
Why Are All My Chat Group Friends Spin-Off Characters? (130 Chapter)
Arknights : Batman System (30 Chapter)
Chat Group: Swapping Bodies with the Bad-Ending Herta from the Start (80 Chapter)
DanMachi: Why Did My Dungeon Turn Into a Soulslike Game? (130 Chapter)
Losing Money on Uma Musume...What Do You Mean You Actually Won? (120 Chapter)
I'm Gotou Hitori—Who Are You? (40 Chapter)
Were You Ever Even a Uma Musume? Stop Making Things Up! (78 Chapter)
Moon Project: A Full-Time Love Adventure for the Lobotomy Corporation (75 Chapter)
The Leisurely Days of the Hyuga Main House (65 Chapter)
Arknights : A Draco Surviving in a Matriarchal Terra (189 Chapter)
Arknights: What if My Luck Is Too Good? (135 Chapter)
Honkai: The Romance System Only Shows Up After I Marry Mei (55 Chapter)
Arknights: Who Are You Calling Repressed, X?! (145 Chapter)
The Chat Group Only Arrived After I'd Cleared the Game (102 Chapter)
Gojo Satoru Flat-Out Refuses to Admit He's a Supporting Character (40 Chapter)
Chat Group Isn't Supposed to Be Like This! (30 Chapter)
If You're Moriarty...then Who Am I? (140 Chapter)
Uma Musume: Since I "Can't See," They Take Turns Stealing My Underwear (50 Chapter)
Arknights: Why Are All My "Brothers" Girls? (54 Chapter)
Danmachi: Start Training Haki (59 Chapter)
Emiya Shirou's Rebirth (30 Chapter)
I Can Get Stronger Just by AFK'ing—So I Joined a Chat Group (50 Chapter)
Endfield: I Can Always Pull Out One Yuan (65 Chapter)
Limbus Company : I Started a Company in Project Moon (50 Chapter)
Lobotomy: Do Cooks of Alley 23 Dream of Bloodfiend Knights? (50 Chapter)
DanMachi: Freya Familia's "One-Blade Shura" (60 Chapter)
DanMachi: Emiya, the Great Hero Becomes the Protagonist (90 Chapter)
TYPE-MOON: One Special Instance Every Week (40 Chapter)
From Danmachi: The Abundance Apothecary (70 Chapter)
Lord Shadow Descends on DanMachi (90 Chapter)
Fuse with Me, Exusiai! (41 Chapter)
Honkai: Star Rail — After I Die, I Forge Their Madness (60 Chapter)
DanMachi: The Last Zeus Familia (95 Chapter)
Endfield: Arknights Heroic Spirit Summoning (75 Chapter)
Toyokawa Family Finances (105 Chapter)
Starting From DanMachi to Become Stronger (90 Chapter)
DanMachi: My Familia Is Made Up Entirely of Heroines from Every World! (75 Chapter)
Arknights: My Intel Refreshes Daily (110 Chapter)
Digimon : I Never Meant to Do Evil, Even Though I Wasn't Chosen (40 Chapter)
Miss Holmes Could Never Be the Losing Heroine! (40 Chapter)
Takayama Gamu at Tracen Academy (40 Chapter)
Legendary Trainer Takes on MYGO (40 Chapter)
Arknights : Yandere Game: The Operators Have Come Knocking (100 Chapter)
Arknights: This Dating Sim Is Seriously Wrong! (120 Chapter)
Arknights : Ch'en Hui-chieh, I'm Done Being the Good Guy! (50 Chapter)
Type-Moon: Wasn't This Supposed to Be a Family Simulator? Why Am I the Family Heirloom? (40 Chapter)
Honkai: Star Rail : The Trailblazer Only Wants a Peaceful Life (45 Chapter)
Arknights: The Unlucky Dad? But I've Got the Chronicle of Time! (55 Chapter)
The Wheelchair War God Is Speedrunning Hogwarts (50 Chapter)
DanMachi: The Elemental Blaster of Orario (45 Chapter)
Playing Honkai in Star Rail (30 Chapter)
As an Alien, I'm Solo Leveling in Warhammer 40K (30 Chapter)
Arknights: A Symbiote's Survival Guide (65 Chapter)
My Yu-Gi-Oh! Deck Is Built Entirely from Stuff I Picked Up (30 Chapter)
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it